E-Paper
Convalescent plasma did not stop Covid-19 progression, show NIH trial results
India dropped plasma therapy from the list of treatments for Covid-19 patients in May after an ICMR study showed no significant benefits for the patients.
Convalescent plasma did not show any significant benefit for high-risk group of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outpatients when given as early symptoms emerged, the results of a key clinical trial showed. The trial was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Department of Health and Human Services.
The trial was stopped in February as it did not prevent the progression of the infection as expected, a statement from NIH said. Principal investigator Clifton Callaway said that the reduction they observed was less than two per cent.
“That was surprising to us. As physicians, we wanted this to make a big difference in reducing severe illness and it did not,” he was quoted as saying in the trial paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The NIH is funding more such studies to get conclusigve evidence to see if the treatment can help Covid-19 partients recover faster. The patients include those in hospitals as well as recovering at home.
India had dropped the plasma therapy from the list of treatment for Covid-19 patients in May this year after evidence showed it wasn't benefiting the patients in any way.
Convalescent plasma therapy uses a blood component called plasma rich in virus-fighting antibodies from recovered Covid-19 patients to aid the immune system in fighting off the infection.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conducted a similar trial in September last year and the data showed that the therapy did not prevent progression to severe disease or reduce the number of deaths at 28-days of enrolment of the patient.
Many health experts across India had urged the central government to exercise caution against the "irrational and non-scientific use" of convalescent plasma in treating Covid-19 patients.
